Mansabdaari System

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INDEX:
Introduction
What was the Mansabdari System?
Basic Features
Defects
Bibliography
Introduction:
Mansabdari System was the novelty of army
organization of the mughals. It was introduced by
Akbar and was kept as it was with minor changes up to
the region of Auranzeb.
The system was not an innovation of Akbar. He took it
from the system introduced by Khalifa Abba Said &
accepted by Genghiz Khan & Timur.
The rulers of Delhi Sultanate too had adopted it to a
certain extent.
Balban organized his army more or less on this system.
What Was the Mansabdari System?
The steel-frame of Akbar's military policy was the
mansabdari system. Through it he set up a bureaucracy
which was half-civil and half-military in character.
The term mansab means an office or rank in the imperial
service, and the mansabdar was an official who, out of his
pay, was expected to furnish a certain number of cavalry to
the imperial army.
They were graded into 39 classes ranging from
commanders of 10 to 10,000.
Generally Mansab of rank of 7,000 and above was reserved
for person like princes or other members of royal family. 
Basic Features
The mansabdars belonged both to the civil and military
departments. They were transferred from the civil side to
the military department and vice versa.
The Mughal mansab was dual, represented by two
members, one desig­nated zat (personal rank) and the other
sawar (cavalry rank). The chief use of zat was to place the
holders in an appropriate position in the offi­cial hierarchy.
In the early years of Akbar's reign the mansabs (ranks)
ranged from command of 10 to 5,000 troops. Subsequently
the highest mansabs were raised from 10,000 to 12,000; but
there was no fixed number of mansabdars.
Basic Features
From the reign of Akbar to Aurangzeb their number kept on in­
creasing. In or about 1595 the total numbers of mansabdars
during the reign of Akbar was 1803; but towards the close of
Aurangzeb's rein their number rose to 14,449.
In theory all mansabdars were appointed by the emperor, who
also granted promotions on the basis of gallantry in military
service and merit.
The mansabdars holding ranks below 500 zat were called
mansabdars, those more than 500 but below 2,500 amirs and
those holding ranks of 2,500 and above were called amir-i-umda
or amir-i-azam or omrahs.
The mansabdars who received pay in cash were known as naqdi
and those paid through assignments of jagirs were called
jagirdars.
Basic Features
The jagirs were by nature trans­ferable and no mansabdar was
allowed to retain the same jagir for a long period. The watan-
jagirs were the only exception to the general system of jagir
transfers. The watan-jagirs were normally granted to those
zamindarswho were already in possession of their watans
(homelands) before the expansion of the Mughal empire.
The mansab was not hereditary and it automatically lapsed after
the death or dismissal of the mansabdar. The son of a mansabdar,
if he was granted a mansab, had to begin afresh.
Another important feature of the mansabdari system was the law
of escheat (zabti), according to which when a mansabdar died all
his property was confiscated by the emperor. This measure had
been introduced so that the mansab­dars did not exploit the
people in a high-handed manner.
Basic Features
The Mansabdars could be transferred from the civil to the
military department and vice versa.
All the Mansabdars were subordinated to the king. That
means in an expedition a Mansabdar of lower rank had to
obey the Mansabdar of higher rank in matters of war.
At first, Zat placed the Mansabdar in appropriate position,
which indicated his rank. Sawar determined the number
of horses and horsemen the Mansabdar had to furnish.
Secondly Sawar rank was either equal or lower than that of
the Zat. Hence the position of the Mansabdar was
determined by the Zat number, not that of Sawar.
Defects Of Mansabdari System
In the formative structure of the Mughal Empire the
Mansabdari system acted as a military machine. But as
all the administrative sections were added with the
central arrangement the efficiencyof Mansabdari
system was to a great extent.
 The bureaucratic complexity and procrastination
weakenedthis system. Moreover, success of this system
de- pended mostly on the efficiency and skill of the Em-
pire himself.
 And, therefore during the reign of the debilitated
Mughal emperors after Aurang-zeb the Mansabdari
system almost broke down.
Defects Of Mansabdari System
The Badsahas had no conception about the fact that
allthe Mansabdars could not be equally skilled in warfare
and in maneuvering an army.
The Mughal Mansabdars had to play an equally
important role bothin administrative and in military work
and as such itsaid, the Mughals believed that any
Mansabdar barring a few theologies and philosophers
could be military commanders and often sent to military
campaigns.
Men like AbulFazal were fare effective when they were
masters of the pen than that of the sword, yetthey were
sent to the field.
Defects Of Mansabdari System
Armies in the Mughal regime were formed according to this
system and soall the armies could not be concorded into one
national army.
In battle field the Mughal emperors were entirely
dependable on the Mansabdars. There was no direct relation
and communication between an or- dinary soldier and the
emperor himself.
 Communication exists between the ordinary soldiers and
the mansabdar, the immediate boss. consequently,
thefidelity of a soldier was to his mansabdar, not to
theemperor. so, if the mansabdar revolted against
theemperor, the soldiers would support the mansabdar, not
the emperor.
Defects Of Mansabdari System
Because of the pan city of jaigir and due to the competition
among the mansabdars for acquiring the best jaigir the
mansabdars would turn a deaf ear to the interest of the empire
and in- stead they would think only of their own interest.
 Dis- honesty and perversion of the mansabdars disclosed
nakedly the weakness of this system. Badauni pointed out how
the mansabdars cheated the mughalemperors in illegal ways.
There was far difference betweenthe real numbers of horses and
so wars and what the numbers of horses and so wars should be.
To eradicate this prevention Akbar introduced Daag and
Chehera systems. But prevention was not entirely extirpated as
reposted by AbulFazal.
Bibliography
Notes on Mansabdari System.
www.indianetzone.com
www.historytuition.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.cram.com
www.google.co.in
THANK
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